The surgeon's bill is only part of the bill--a minor part. It wouldn't matter if the surgeon worked for free. What these big bills are for is the hospital infrastructure. Our hospitals are being hit on all fronts--and the charges are passed to the patient, one way or another. Of course, the option is always there for the hospital to simply give up and close its doors.
I'm very concerned about our health care system. An acquaintance of ours was telling my husband about a client of his who moved for a short while to Italy. While moving into his apt, he experienced chest pains, and became convinced he needed to seek help. He was hoping to just get back on a plane to the U.S to be treated, but could not fly with his heart condition. It was too extreme. So he headed for the hospital, where he underwent a bipass operation, and stayed in the hospital for over a week. When it came time to pay the bill, he was sick about what he assumed would be an impossible debt. The total came to $2,000, which he charged to his credit card and walked away.
When I heard that true life experience, I was just sick. Our health care system is truly broken. How in the world does it get fixed?